Album Review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Live God

Few acts have released as many live albums as Nick Cave, from 1993’s Live Seeds through to 2020’s majestic Idiot Prayer, which saw the singer alone with his grand piano during lockdown in London’s Alexandra Palace.

But few artists have proven as chameleonic as Cave in the live arena, from snarling post-punk to ivory-tinkling troubadour, through the voyeuristic catharsis of the tours for Skeleton Tree and Ghosteen, following the tragic death of his 15-year-old son. Now we have his latest incarnation, as the Bad Seeds mutate into the multi-limbed, gospel-tinged saviours of epic rock ‘n’ roll.

Anyone who witnessed this tour was treated to a truly joyous, inclusive experience, as Cave continued to eviscerate the line between performer and audience. The singer acted as part crazed shaman, part spirit guide, part Pentecostal preacher.

He’s augmented by one of the greatest groups of musical reprobates gathered on one stage, including Jim Sclavunos, George Vjestica, Larry Mullins, Carly Paradi and Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood, alongside Cave’s musical foil and all-round genius, Warren Ellis, who makes violin, guitar and bass sound like they never have before.

Some live albums merely reinforce the ‘guess you had to be there’ combination of frustration and regret, but Live God is almost as magnificent as the shows themselves. An 18-track odyssey through Cave’s discography, it leans heavily on last year’s stunning Wild God, from the feral evangelism of ‘Conversion’ to the Anita Lane-inspired ‘O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)’, while other recent highlights include ‘I Need You’ and the title track from 2021’s Carnage.

There are epic takes on some Cave classics, including a bruising ‘From Her To Eternity’, a fist-pumpingly electric ‘Tupelo’, a celebratory ‘Red Right Hand’, complete with mass singalong, a frantic ‘Papa Won’t Leave You Henry’, and the pared-back piano and vocals of his greatest moment, ‘Into My Arms’.

Majestic.

9/10